U.S. patent application number 13/287384 was filed with the patent office on 2012-05-03 for wireless wide area network test method and test system.
This patent application is currently assigned to BEIJING BOE OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.. Invention is credited to Hao WU, Hongjun YU, Xiuqiang ZHAO.
Application Number | 20120106382 13/287384 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 45996686 |
Filed Date | 2012-05-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120106382 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
WU; Hao ; et al. |
May 3, 2012 |
WIRELESS WIDE AREA NETWORK TEST METHOD AND TEST SYSTEM
Abstract
The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a WWAN test
method and a test system related to the communication field, which
is suitable for the product research and development stage and can
derive a quantitative data relationship between a NFS test result
and an OTA test result. The WWAN test method comprises: measuring a
power value of noises, denoted by D(NFS), received by an antenna of
a terminal to be tested in a NFS test manner; measuring a power
attenuation value, denoted by D-sense, of a path from a WWAN module
to the antenna of the terminal; obtaining an antenna efficiency
value, denoted by AE, of the terminal; and obtaining a TIS value of
an OTA test result by TIS=D(NFS)+D-sense-AE. The embodiments of the
present disclosure can be used in the NFS test.
Inventors: |
WU; Hao; (Beijing, CN)
; YU; Hongjun; (Beijing, CN) ; ZHAO; Xiuqiang;
(Beijing, CN) |
Assignee: |
BEIJING BOE OPTOELECTRONICS
TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
Beijing
CN
|
Family ID: |
45996686 |
Appl. No.: |
13/287384 |
Filed: |
November 2, 2011 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
370/252 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04B 17/0085 20130101;
H04W 28/04 20130101; H04W 84/04 20130101; H04W 24/10 20130101; H04B
17/29 20150115; H04B 17/345 20150115; H04W 24/00 20130101; H04B
17/21 20150115 |
Class at
Publication: |
370/252 |
International
Class: |
H04L 12/26 20060101
H04L012/26 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Nov 3, 2010 |
CN |
201010536336.1 |
Claims
1. A WWAN test method, comprising: measuring a power value of
noises, denoted by D(NFS), received by an antenna of a terminal to
be tested in a NFS test-manner; measuring a power attenuation
value, denoted by D-sense, of a path from a WWAN module to the
antenna of the terminal; obtaining an antenna efficiency value,
denoted by AE, of the terminal; and obtaining a TIS value of an OTA
test result by: TIS=D(NFS)+D-sense-AE.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, measuring a power
value of noises received by an antenna of a terminal to be tested
in a NFS test manner comprising: sensing the power value of noises
of respective components of the terminal itself received by the
antenna, by a spectrum analyzer connected to the antenna of the
terminal to be tested in wire.
3. The method according to claim 1, wherein, measuring a power
attenuation value of a path from a WWAN module to the antenna of
the terminal comprising: sensing a conducted sensitivity power
value, denoted by C1, of the WWAN module, by a spectrum analyzer
connected to the antenna in wire, in a condition that the WWAN
module of the terminal is connected to a load; sensing a contacted
sensitivity power value, denoted by C2, of the WWAN module, by the
spectrum analyzer, when the WWAN module transmits the power value
of noises received by the antenna to a base station simulator
connected to the WWAN module in wire; and obtaining the power
attenuation value of the path from the WWAN module to the antenna
by: |C1-C2|.
4. The method according to claim 3, wherein, the load is a resistor
of 50.OMEGA..
5. A WWAN test system, comprising: a spectrum analyzer connected to
an antenna of a terminal to be tested in wire, which measures a
power value of noises, denoted by D(NFS), of respective components
of the terminal itself received by the antenna, and measures a
power attenuation value, denoted by D-sense, of a path from a WWAN
module to the antenna of the terminal; a base station simulator
connected to the WWAN module of the terminal to be tested in wire,
which receives the power value of noises received by the antenna
and transmitted from the WWAN module; a control device connected to
the spectrum analyzer and the base station simulator, which
controls the spectrum analyzer and the base station simulator, and
calculates a TIS value of an OTA test result based on the power
value of noises D(NFS) and the power attenuation value D-sense
obtained by the spectrum analyzer, and a set antenna efficiency
value AE, by the formula of: TIS=D(NFS)+D-sense-AE.
6. The WWAN test system according to claim 5, further comprising: a
load resistor electrically connected to the WWAN module when a
conducted sensitivity power value of the WWAN module is measured by
the spectrum analyzer.
7. The WWAN test system according to claim 5, further comprising:
an amplifier deployed between the antenna and the spectrum
analyzer.
8. The WWAN test system according to claim 7, further comprising: a
first Single-Pole-Double-Throw switch, a movable contact of which
is electrically connected to the antenna of the terminal to be
tested in wire, a first fixed contact of which is electrically
connected to the spectrum analyzer through the amplifier, and a
second fixed contact of which is electrically connected to a first
fixed contact of a second Single-Pole-Double-Throw switch; and the
second Single-Pole-Double-Throw switch, a movable contact of which
is electrically connected to the WWAN module of the terminal to be
tested in wire, a first fixed contact of which is electrically
connected to the second fixed contact of the first
Single-Pole-Double-Throw switch, and a second fixed contact of
which is electrically connected to the load resistor.
9. The WWAN test system according to claim 6, wherein, the load
resistor is a resistor of 50.OMEGA..
10. The WWAN test system according to claim 8, wherein, the load
resistor is a resistor of 50.OMEGA..
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present disclosure relates to the communication field,
especially to a WWAN (Wireless Wide Area Network) test method and
its test system.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] Recently, as the notebook computer becomes increasingly
powerful in its wireless function, especially with the widely
spread of applications related to 3G surfing, people has focused on
the issues that wireless communication is affected by respective
components inside the notebook computer which was ignored
previously. One typical issue is the Wireless Wide Area Network
(WWAN) wireless test.
[0003] Generally, the final evaluation means and method for
wireless function related application is the Over The Air (OTA)
test as shown in FIG. 1, i.e., a test of wireless communication
function of a product by an actual method for simulating
communication. However, this final scheme requires complex
conditions, a high cost, and a long test time. Moreover, a
relatively large electromagnetic-shielding room is needed during
the test. Therefore, it is not suitable for applying at the product
research and development stage.
[0004] At the product research and development stage, the method
used frequently is the wireless WWAN test method with a scan of
antenna noise, i.e., the Noise Floor System (NFS) test method as
shown in FIG. 2. Such a method is of a relatively low cost with a
relatively short test time, and it only requires a very small
electromagnetic-shielding room which is easily equipped in a lab,
and therefore is suitable for debugging in the product research and
development process.
[0005] However, there is only a qualitative relationship between
the two kinds of tests based on the current understanding and
knowledge theoretically. For example, if there is relatively large
noise in a certain frequency band in the NFS test result, there
will also be noise in the frequency band correspondingly in the OTA
test result. However, there is no method to find the data
relationship between the two kinds of tests quantitatively. As a
result, there is no way to determine the data difference between
the two kinds of tests, and error may easily occur when making
decisions based on the data. For example, generally, the NFS test
result is taken as a reference in the product research and
development process. If the difference between the NFS test result
and the final OTA test result cannot be known, problems may occur
in the final OTA test for product detection. On the other hand, if
the OTA test is directly used in the research and development
process, people may face problems such as high cost, large occupied
area, low test speed etc., which are not suitable for the research
and development process.
SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0006] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a WWAN
test method and a test system suitable for the product research and
development stage, which can obtain a quantitative data
relationship between a NFS test result and an OTA test result.
[0007] To achieve the above object, the embodiments of the present
disclosure utilize the following technical solutions.
[0008] A WWAN test method, comprises: [0009] measuring a power
value of noises, denoted by D(NFS), received by an antenna of a
terminal to be tested in a NFS test manner; [0010] measuring a
power attenuation value, denoted by D-sense, of a path from a WWAN
module to the antenna of the terminal; [0011] obtaining an antenna
efficiency value, denoted by AE, of the terminal; and [0012]
obtaining a TIS value of an OTA test result by:
[0012] TIS=D(NFS)+D-sense-AE.
[0013] A WWAN test system, comprises: [0014] a spectrum analyzer
connected to an antenna of a terminal to be tested in wire, which
measures a power value of noises, denoted by D(NFS), of respective
components of the terminal itself received by the antenna, and
measures a power attenuation value, denoted by D-sense, of a path
from a WWAN module to the antenna of the terminal; [0015] a base
station simulator connected to the WWAN module of the terminal to
be tested in wire, which receives the power value of noises
received by the antenna and transmitted from the WWAN module;
[0016] a control device connected to the spectrum analyzer and the
base station simulator, which controls the spectrum analyzer and
the base station simulator, and calculates a TIS value of an OTA
test result based on the power value of noises D(NFS) and the power
attenuation value D-sense obtained by the spectrum analyzer, and a
set antenna efficiency value AE, by the formula of:
[0016] TIS=D(NFS)+D-sense-AE.
[0017] The WWAN test method and the test system according to the
embodiments of the present disclosure measures The power value of
noises, denoted by D(NFS), received by the antenna of the terminal
to be tested in the NFS test manner, then measures the power
attenuation value, denoted by D-sense, of the path from the WWAN
module to the antenna of the terminal, obtains the antenna
efficiency value denoted by AE, and obtains the TIS value of the
OTA test result by: TIS=D(NFS)+D-sense-AE. Thereby, a quantitative
data relationship between the NFS test result and the OTA test
result is obtained. Therefore, the final OTA test result can be
derived from the NFS test at the product research and development
stage, and thereby the design quality of the product can be
assued.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] In the following, a brief introduction will be given to the
attached drawings necessary for the description of the embodiments
of the present disclosure or the prior art, so as to explain the
technical solutions in the embodiments or the prior art more
clearly. Obviously, the figures in the following description are
only some examples of the present disclosure, and other figures are
apparent without inventive labor based on these figures to those of
ordinary skill in the art, in which:
[0019] FIG. 1 is a structural schematic diagram of the OTA test in
the prior art;
[0020] FIG. 2 is a structural schematic diagram of the NFS test in
the prior art;
[0021] FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a WWAN test method according to an
embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0022] FIG. 4 is a first structural schematic diagram of a test
system used by the WWAN test method according to another embodiment
of the present disclosure;
[0023] FIG. 5 is a second structural schematic diagram of the test
system used by the WWAN test method according to another embodiment
of the present disclosure;
[0024] FIG. 6 is a structural schematic diagram of the WWAN test
system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
and
[0025] FIG. 7 is another structural schematic diagram of the WWAN
test system according to an embodiment of the present
disclosure.
DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
[0026] In the following, the technical solutions of the embodiments
of the present disclosure will be described clearly and thoroughly
with reference to the figures in the embodiments of the present
disclosure. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part
of, but not all, embodiments of the present disclosure. All the
other embodiments obtained based on the embodiments of the present
disclosure without inventive labor by those of ordinary skill in
the art shall fall within the protection scope of the present
disclosure.
[0027] As shown in FIG. 3, the WWAN test method according to an
embodiment of the present disclosure comprises the following
steps.
[0028] At S301, a power value of noises, denoted by D(NFS),
received by an antenna of a terminal to be tested is measured in an
NFS test manner.
[0029] Specially, the power value of noises received by the antenna
of the terminal to be tested can be obtained in a relatively small
electromagnetic-shielding room in the current NFS test manner.
Since the terminal to be tested is located in the
electromagnetic-shielding room, the power value of noises received
by its antenna is the noise power of the respective components of
the terminal itself.
[0030] Also, due to the adoption of the NFS test manner, which
requires a relatively small electromagnetic-shielding room, a low
cost and a short test time, it is suitable for the product research
and development stage.
[0031] At S302, a power attenuation value, denoted by D-sense, of a
path from a WWAN module to the antenna of the terminal is
measured.
[0032] Specially, a conducted sensitivity power value can be
measured firstly when the WWAN module is connected to a load. Then,
a contacted sensitivity power value can be measured when the WWAN
module transmits the power value of noises received by the antenna
to the simulated base station. The difference between the two
measured power values is the power attenuation value of the path
from the WWAN module to the antenna.
[0033] At S303, an antenna efficiency value, denoted by AE, of the
terminal is obtained.
[0034] Generally, vendors provide the antenna efficiency value in
materials such as specification related to the antenna. So the
antenna efficiency value can be obtained directly.
[0035] At S304, a TIS value of an OTA test result is obtained by:
TIS=D(NFS)+D-sense-AE.
[0036] The WWAN test method according to the embodiment of the
present disclosure measures the power value of noises, denoted by
D(NFS), received by the antenna of the terminal to be tested in the
NFS test manner, then measures the power attenuation value, denoted
by D-sense, of the path from the WWAN module to the antenna of the
terminal, obtains the antenna efficiency value denoted by AE, and
obtains the TIS value of the OTA test result by:
TIS=D(NFS)+D-sense-AE. Thereby, a quantitative data relationship
between the NFS test result and the OTA test result is obtained.
Therefore, the final OTA test result can be derived from the NFS
test at the product research and development stage, and thereby the
design quality of the product can be assured.
[0037] A device employed by the WWAN test method in the test
process according to another embodiment of the present disclosure
is as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.
[0038] In FIG. 4, there is a relatively small
electromagnetic-shielding room 4, in which a terminal 40 to be
tested, a first Single-Pole-Double-Throw switch 41, a second
Single-Pole-Double-Throw switch 42, a load resistor 43 and an
amplifier 44 are disposed. In the embodiment, it is assumed that
the terminal 40 to be tested is a notebook computer 40, and the
load resistor 43 is a resistor of 50.OMEGA.. The detailed
connection relationship is as follows:
[0039] An antenna 401 of the notebook computer 40 is electrically
connected to the first Single-Pole-Double-Throw switch 41 in wire,
and a WWAN module 402 of the notebook computer 40 is electrically
connected to the second Single-Pole-Double-Throw switch 42 in wire.
Specially, the antenna 401 is electrically connected to a movable
contact 411 of the first Single-Pole-Double-Throw switch 41 in
wire, a first fixed contact 412 of the first
Single-Pole-Double-Throw switch 41 is electrically connected to the
amplifier 44, a second fixed contact 413 of the first
Single-Pole-Double-Throw switch 41 is electrically connected to a
first fixed contact 422 of the second Single-Pole-Double-Throw
switch 42; the WWAN module 402 is electrically connected to a
movable contact 421 of the second Single-Pole-Double-Throw switch
42 in wire, the first fixed contact 422 of the second
Single-Pole-Double-Throw switch 42 is electrically connected to the
second fixed contact 413 of the first Single-Pole-Double-Throw
switch 41, and a second fixed contact 423 of the second
Single-Pole-Double-Throw switch 42 is electrically connected to the
load resistor 43.
[0040] A spectrum analyzer 45, a base station simulator 46 and a
control device 47 are disposed outside the
electromagnetic-shielding room 4. The spectrum analyzer 45 is
electrically connected to the amplifier 44 in the
electromagnetic-shielding room 4 in wire, the base station
simulator 46 is electrically connected to the WWAN module 402 of
the notebook computer 40 in the electromagnetic-shielding room 4 in
wire, and the control device 47 is connected to the spectrum
analyzer 45 and the base station simulator 46, respectively, so as
to control the spectrum analyzer 45 and the base station simulator
46, sense out the spectrum analyzer 45, calculate and so on.
[0041] When the test is carried out, firstly, the knife switch of
the first Single-Pole-Double-Throw switch 41 is turned to the first
fixed contact 412, i.e., the antenna 401 of the notebook computer
40 is electrically connected to the spectrum analyzer 45 through
the amplifier 44 in wire, as shown in FIG. 4. Meanwhile, the knife
switch of the second Single-Pole-Double-Throw switch 42 is turned
to the second fixed contact 423, i.e., the WWAN module 402 of the
notebook computer 40 is electrically connected to the load resistor
43 in wire.
[0042] In this case, a power value of noises, denoted by D(NFS),
received by the antenna 401 of the notebook computer 40 is sensed
out by the spectrum analyzer 45. Since the notebook computer 40 is
located in the electromagnetic-shielding room 4, the power value of
noises received by its antenna 401 is that of respective components
of the notebook computer 40 itself. This test process is similar to
that of the current NFS test manner.
[0043] The WWAN module 402 of the notebook computer 40 is
electrically connected to the load resistor 403, which equivalently
connect to a unit load, meanwhile, the spectrum analyzer 45 senses
a power value existing in the test environment through the antenna
401, which is defined as a conducted sensitivity power value,
denoted by C1.
[0044] Then, as shown in FIG. 5, the knife switch of the first
Single-Pole-Double-Throw switch 41 is turned to the second fixed
contact 413, and the knife switch of the second
Single-Pole-Double-Throw switch 42 is turned to the first fixed
contact 422, i.e., the antenna 401 of the notebook computer 40 is
connected to the WWAN module 402 in wire, and the WWAN module 402
is electrically connected to the base station simulator 46 outside
the electromagnetic-shielding room 4 in wire.
[0045] In this case, the antenna 401 transmits the received noise
power value D(NFS) to the base station simulator 46 through the
WWAN module 402 to simulate the real operation state. The spectrum
analyzer 45 is tuned to sense the power value existing in the test
environment and processed and transmitted by the WWAN module 402
through the antenna 401, which is defined as a contacted
sensitivity power value, denoted by C2. The test mode of the
present embodiment differs from that of the OTA test mode mainly in
that a wire communication method in contact is used in the present
embodiment, while a wireless communication is used in the OTA
test.
[0046] The power difference between the two tests indicates a power
attenuation value, denoted by D-sense, of a path from the WWAN
module 402 to the antenna 401. Then, D-sense=|C1-C2|.
[0047] An efficiency of the antenna 401, denoted by AE (Antenna
Efficiency), of the notebook computer 40 can be acquired from the
materials provided by the vendor.
[0048] Then, a TIS value, the result of the OTA test, can be
derived from the above tests by the following formula:
TIS=D(NFS)+D-sense-AE (Formula 1)
[0049] In Formula 1, D-sense indicates the attenuation of the path
from the WWAN module to the antenna, which varies little among the
systems of the notebook computers practically. Therefore, the
D-sense obtained in this test can be popularized as an estimation
value. For the same reason, the antenna efficiency AE varies little
among the systems of the notebook computers, and it can be
popularized as well. After a test to obtain the two values of
D-sense and AE, a steady quantitative relationship is established
between the NFS test result D(NFS) and the OTA test result TIS in
the subsequent NFS tests.
[0050] Every time the D(NFS) value is measured, the control device
47 can obtain the TIS value from the calculation based on the above
noise power value D(NFS), the power attenuation value D-sense and
the antenna efficiency value AE transmitted thereto. Then, a
quantitative relationship can be established between the two
different test methods, so as to derive the final OTA test result
from the NFS test at the product research and development stage
with a lower cost and a faster speed, and thereby the design
quality of the product can be assured.
[0051] As shown in FIG. 6, a WWAN test system according to the
embodiment of the present disclosure comprises: [0052] a spectrum
analyzer 601 connected to an antenna of a terminal to be tested in
wire, which measures a power value of noises, denoted by D(NFS), of
respective components of the terminal itself received by the
antenna, and measures a power attenuation value, denoted by
D-sense, of a path from the WWAN module to the antenna of the
terminal.
[0053] Specially, the spectrum analyzer 601 senses a conducted
sensitivity power value in the environment, denoted by C1, through
the antenna, in a condition that the WWAN module of the terminal is
connected to a load resistor; and obtains a contacted sensitivity
power value, denoted by C2, when the power value of noises D(NFS)
processed by the WWAN module is transmitted to the base station
simulator connected in wire by the antenna; then, the power
attenuation value of the path from the WWAN module to the antenna
is |C1-C2|, denoted by D-sense.
[0054] The WWAN test system further comprises: [0055] a base
station simulator 602 connected to the WWAN module of the terminal
to be tested in wire, which receives the power value of noises
received by the antenna and transmitted from the WWAN module; and
[0056] a control device 603 connected to the spectrum analyzer 601
and the base station simulator 602, which controls the spectrum
analyzer 601 and the base station simulator 602, and calculates a
TIS value of an OTA test result based on the power value of noises
D(NFS) and the power attenuation value D-sense obtained by the
spectrum analyzer 601, and a set antenna efficiency value AE, by
the formula of: TIS =D(NFS)+D-sense-AE.
[0057] In the present embodiment, the terminal to be tested is
located in the electromagnetic-shielding room.
[0058] The WWAN test system according to the embodiment of the
present disclosure measures the power value of noises, denoted by
D(NFS), received by the antenna of the terminal to be tested in the
NFS test manner by the spectrum analyzer, then measures the power
attenuation value, denoted by D-sense, of the path from the WWAN
module to the antenna of the terminal by the spectrum analyzer
using a base station simulator, obtains an antenna efficiency value
denoted by AE, and calculates the TIS value of the OTA test result
by the formula of TIS=D(NFS)+D-sense-AE. Thereby, the TIS value can
be obtained every time the D(NFS) value is measured. Then, the
final OTA test result can be derived from the NFS test at the
product research and development stage, and thereby the design
quality of the product can be assured.
[0059] Moreover, as shown in FIG. 7, the WWAN test system further
comprises: [0060] a load resistor 604 electrically connected to the
WWAN module when the conducted sensitivity power value of the WWAN
module is measured by the spectrum analyzer 601; [0061] an
amplifier 605 deployed between the antenna and the spectrum
analyzer 601; [0062] a first Single-Pole-Double-Throw switch 606, a
movable contact of which is electrically connected to the antenna
of the terminal to be tested in wire, a first fixed contact of
which is electrically connected to the spectrum analyzer 601
through the amplifier 605, and a second fixed contact of which is
electrically connected to a first fixed contact of a second
Single-Pole-Double-Throw switch 607; and [0063] the second
Single-Pole-Double-Throw switch 607, a movable contact of which is
electrically connected to the WWAN module of the terminal to be
tested in wire, a first fixed contact of which is electrically
connected to the second fixed contact of the first
Single-Pole-Double-Throw switch 606, and a second fixed contact of
which is electrically connected to the load resistor 604.
[0064] With the two Single-Pole-Double-Throw switches, the
switching can be carried out conveniently in one test, which is
advantageous to make the test fast and the test procedure
simple.
[0065] In the present embodiment, the load resistor can be a
resistor of 50.OMEGA..
[0066] Those of ordinary skill in the art can appreciate that all
or part of the steps implementing the above method embodiments can
be realized by hardware in connection with program instructions
which can be stored in a computer readable storage medium. When the
abovementioned program instructions are performed, the steps of the
above method embodiments are performed. The above storage medium
can be such as ROM, RAM, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, other
media which can store program codes, or the like.
[0067] The above are only detailed implementations of the present
disclosure. Nevertheless, the protection scope of the present
disclosure is not limited thereto. Those skilled in the art can
think of variations or alternations easily with the technical scope
disclosed by the present disclosure, and such variations or
alternations should fall within the protection scope of the present
disclosure. Then, the protection scope of the present disclosure
should be defined by the claims as attached.
* * * * *